The
Road Traveled:
Larry began his music career in the Mississippi delta at the age of seventeen
playing in his first band with Danny Green. That was pretty good company
for a first-time band because Danny Green went on to co-write with the
legendary Don Nix at Malaco records, the dominant Southern R&B Label
in the country. Danny Green released his own Night Dog album in 1978.
Larry played next with the Keith Coleman band in 1967 and 1968 with a repertoire of Memphis soul classics and top-40 hits. Larry later hooked up with Keith in 1974 in an east Arkansas club where Charlie Rich got his start. Keith Coleman and his wife Ruby Tuesday can be found performing today in Tampa, Florida by checking out: tampasuperband.com
Dead Heet -
1972
Larry Henson, third from left.
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Larry joined Dead Heet, in 1969 and got his first taste of the road, playing bars, juke joints and roadhouses throughout Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana. Dead Heet featured three and four part harmony with Mike Weathersby, Mike Smith, Ricky Crouse, and Chuck Hornbeck with Larry on drums. The band played top-40, Memphis soul, and R&B classics. Today, Mike Weathersby lives in Louisiana where he still plays guitar. Mike Smith is arguably one of the most talented bassists in Memphis.
Dead Heet reorganized and changed their name to Delta Joy in 1973 in Memphis adding Larry Covington on keyboards and later Dick O'Day and Sharon Taylor on vocals. Delta Joy performed top-40 cover tunes from the 70's with power vocals and a show style. After an extended gig in Vicksburg and touring the Carolinas, Florida, and Virginia, Larry left the band and moved back to Arkansas. Larry returned to playing with the Keith Coleman Band.
Larry left for Las Vegas in
1974 for six months playing with Vickie and the Gamblers, Grandma's Cookies,
and The Maddogs. Grandma's Cookies was a show band featuring Ralph Faulks,
the bass player formerly with Tony Orlando and Ted Henker, the guitar
player from the Righteous Brothers. Grandma's Cookies performed at the
Frontier Hotel main showroom and at the Sands.
Larry Henson, fourth from left.
.Hernado's Hideaway
Returning to Memphis, Larry was asked to become part of the Jimmy Busby Show along with former Delta Joy bassist Mike Smith and keyboard player Larry Covington. It was in the Jimmy Busby Show that Larry became a close friend with bandleader and guitar player Loman Craig. The Jimmy Busby Show began a two-year long sit-down job at the world-famous Hernando's Hideaway in Memphis playing Elvis hits, progressive country, and top-40 hits. In less that a year, Jimmy Busby left the band and the name was changed to the Loman Craig Group. The music format stayed the same. Hernando's was a late-night roadhouse famous for stars dropping in to jam. Jerry Lee Lewis and Wayne Jackson of The Memphis Horns were regulars.
Loman Craig
Group
Larry Henson, top row, right.
Loman Craig Group 1978-1979
From left: Loman Craig, Larry Henson, Gene Sisk, Fred Smith
In 1978, the Loman Craig group reformed with a more progressive country flavor. In 1979 the group went into the studio in Muscle Shoals, Alabama to record some original songs, cover "Magnolia" by J.J. Cale and record the song "One More Glass of Wine" written by Larry's college friend Richard Ross.
Gene Sisk on keyboards
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Stormy from left: Larry Covington, Mike Smith, Kelley Brown,
Larry Henson, John Millman
Loman Craig left Memphis for Nashville in 1979 to form Bandit Records and begin a successful songwriting and record-producing career. The band reorganized and renamed itself as Stormy, beginning a three-year stint at Dad's Place, one of Memphis' most successful night clubs. Stormy was a top-40 cover band playing to sold-out audiences in a 1,000 seat club for three straight years.
One of the highlights of Larry Henson's career came when Stormy was invited to play on the main stage on Saturday afternoon in the Memphis in May Beale Street Music Festival in 1980. The estimated crowd for the afternoon was 35,000.
In 1982, Larry began working for an Elvis Tribute band called Night Life
with the Daily Brothers. This band traveled throughout the U.S. but was
based out of Memphis. The Elvis tribute shows were hits in Michigan, Minnesota,
Illinois, Louisiana, New Mexico and aboard a cruise ship on a Caribbean
cruise sailing from the port of Miami.
While playing with Night Life Larry had an opportunity to partner with some notable entertainers on some specifics gigs.
In 1983, Night Life backed up rockabilly greats, The McCarver Sisters (Kerrie, Sherrie & Dedee) for several engagements. It was during this time that Kerrie Lynn McCarver was dating Jerry Lee Lewis prior to becoming his sixth wife.
In 1984, Larry and Night life played with B.B. Cunningham, the Memphis musical great who had hit records with Ronnie and the Daytonas (Little GTO) and The Hombres (Let it All Hang Out). Larry left that gig to go back to college and get a graduate degree and the dreaded day job.
Since 1988, Larry has played on a freelance basis at clubs in Memphis until moving to Tampa, Florida in 2006. A new job opportunity led Larry to Baton Rouge, Louisiana in 2009 where he now resides.
Contact Larry Henson in the Baton Rouge area to add a Memphis groove to
your sound.
813-990-9376 by phone or
Contact Me by e-mail
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